


Photogenic

by stupiddragon



Series: I'd Scream "I Love You," But Somebody Would Hear Me [2]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Diners, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Pining, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 19:51:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17873756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stupiddragon/pseuds/stupiddragon
Summary: RK900 is finding himself more and more accepted by his co-workers at the precinct. They've even gone so far as to invite him out to eat (or watch them eat, rather). Nines takes it as a chance to stare for just a little longer at Detective Reed, and maybe tease him just a little in the process.





	Photogenic

**Author's Note:**

> More fluff! And there's even more where that came from! Enjoy!

It started out that the Detective was simply pleasing to look at. He had a gruff, well proportioned face and striking eyes, highlighted by the bruises of sleepless nights and the near constant furrow of his brow. When he was clean shaven he was rather dashing, though Nines felt that the five o'clock shadow he normally wore served to define his jaw better. 

RK900 sometimes found himself jealous of the natural, imperfect beauty humans grew into. They weren't modelled with the purpose of being pleasing to the eye. There were no files containing every measurement and polygonal plane of their faces to be repeatedly churned out by 3D printers on an assembly line. They had only luck to depend on for a pretty face, and bore the weight and the scars of their entire lives upon it.

Finding a human to be aesthetically pleasing was hardly an issue for Nines. There were many humans who he noted had very good genes. No, something else had grown in him, something he wanted to dismiss as typical when two people work together long enough, or as simple confusion on his own part. 

There was just…  _ something _ about looking at Detective Reed’s face, or watching the way he walked and moved that made Nines stare. Perhaps it was how all of his gestures were so manically exaggerated that it was impossible not to notice. Or, could it be that it was the way he leaned up against any surface near enough, or propped his feet up at any opportunity? Some saw it as lazy or disrespectful, but Nines’ interest was always piqued when he saw Reed’s relaxed contrapposto resting against a wall. Why couldn’t an RK900 stand so loosely, so naturally?

Tonight was one of many occasions where Nines found himself struggling to keep his eyes off of Reed and on any of their other colleagues. How unprofessional it was for him not to make eye contact with whoever was speaking, and how odd it must look that he kept giving side long glances at Reed while the man’s grin grew wider and wider. 

Perhaps he could play it off as restlessness. He’d never been invited to one of these functions, but after he’d solved his first solo case- one of Ben Collins’, from before he retired just last month- Reed’s crew decided to bring him out for drinks. Not that Nines could drink, but he supposed it was the company that was really the point. 

It was himself, Tina Chen, Chris Miller, and, of course, Gavin Reed. The humans all laughed amongst themselves, little inside jokes and friendly jabs (or not so friendly when it came to Gavin, but Tina had once told Nines that “he’s an asshole, but he’s our asshole”). Nines found it difficult to slide into the conversation except when directly addressed. Chris was trying especially hard to include the android, and in turn the android was trying his best to include himself. 

The dimly lit diner was a local favorite, not fancy, but not run down. Just the right size and amount of traffic that they weren’t alone in the place, but it also wasn’t terribly loud. Nines sat in the booth next to Chris, with Tina and Gavin across from them. Everyone had finished their meals- at this point it was all chatter, simple deliberation so they wouldn’t have to return to their homes and go to sleep. 

“Hey- Tina-! Fuck off!” 

Nines turned his head from Chris- who’d been telling him in detail how much of an adorable menace his one year-old son was- to see Officer Chen’s arm raised above her head, over the table, with a phone in her hand and the display showing a wobbling image of the group as she tried to frame everyone. Gavin didn’t seem to be enjoying the photoshoot, scrabbling over Tina to get her arm down.

“Aw, come on Gav! We got Nines to come out with us- I need photographic proof!” Chen whined, stretching ever farther away from her attacker.

“Pics or it didn’t happen,” Chris recited sagely, nodding his head before he leaned into the frame.

Gavin rolled his eyes and retreated to the corner, pulling his hood over his head, and turned himself towards the wall. “Well, I don’t wanna be in it. Just take a pic of Nines!” he grumbled.

Instead, Tina turned her camera on Gavin and started snapping photos of his childish pouting. Nines looked on, a smirk curling at the corner of his lips, though he didn’t understand what the issue was. There were cameras everywhere, always monitoring Detroit’s residents and visitors. What was the problem with one deliberate photo?

Gavin peaked out from under his hood to see the phone shoved into his face and immediately recoiled, hand flashing out to snatch the thing away from Chen. A scrabble ensued, mostly little shoves and cusses, Chen laughing hysterically the entire time. 

“Delete it!! Delete it!!” Reed demanded.

“Pff- not unless you give me one good group photo!”

“Fuck off, you know I don’t like having my picture taken!” 

Chris shook his head at the fight and pulled out his own phone, leaned backwards into Nines, and held the camera up above them. He gave a small smile, just reaching his eyes, and Nines did his best to mimic the expression, elbows leaning on the table so he could fit himself better in frame. The display flashed, the photo taken, and Chris set to work sending the image to both Gavin and Tina. 

When Chen’s phone buzzed, she stopped jabbing Reed in the ribs and checked her messages. Her face lit up with a huge grin. 

“Aw! Baby’s first drink with the boys!” she sang. 

“Are you not-” Nines began, brows furrowing.

“She’s an honorary boy,” Reed answered before the android could finish, giving Chen one last shove for good measure. “Likes sports, likes beer, likes women. Boy.” 

“Don’t make me go SJW on you, Reed!” Tina sneered with an exaggerated look of menace. “Anyway, I need a good photo of you for my contacts. It’s still just your fucking cat.”

Indignant, the scar on Reed’s nose crinkled in just the right way to make Nines’ eyes lock to it. “What’s wrong with my cat?!”

“You’re not a cat!”

“Oh, please, my cat is way cuter than I am. Why would you wanna see my ugly mug every time I call you?”

“Oh stop it, you’re not ugly!”

RK900 decided that now wasn’t such an odd time to chime in with a compliment. His chances of being growled at or arousing suspicion were much lower than normal. “You’re very photogenic, Detective.”

And that made Gavin’s ears flush pink.  _ This _ was an expression that Nines had never seen before, one that made his artificial heart pang and, had he kept his LED, would have had a flash of yellow streaking through calm blue. He’d flustered the Detective. He was  _ blushing _ , if ever so slightly. The android smirked, having learned that he could cause that. Perhaps he could make it worse.

“I would know- I do have cameras for eyes,” he continued, smirk growing toothy when Reed shrank away in embarrassment. Chris and Tina watched the Detective grow hotter, both snickering at his pain.

“Nines could just send you a still frame of him,” Chris offered to Chen. The woman’s eyes grew wide and her expression devious.

“Dude, could you send me like one of those awful in-between frames?!” she grinned. 

“No- fuck- Nines, don’t fuckin’ listen to her-” Reed begged. 

“Please! Please, I need one!” Chen pleaded.

Nines cast his eyes down and smiled mischievously, drawing out the moment as if he was thinking about it. No, he wouldn’t dare betray Gavin’s trust by sending one of the many frames he had of the man with a half open mouth and lidded eyes, or blurred halfway through some kind of motion. The way he reacted to having a photo taken that he could pose for was bad enough. He skimmed through his files of the day and plucked a still from earlier on their outing, sending it off to Tina’s phone.

“Sent.”

“Mother _ fucker! _ ” Gavin hissed. “Fuckin’ hate you, tin can.”

He didn’t mean it- or he wouldn’t, in a minute.

Chen’s phone buzzed again and she swiped to the new conversation. Her features softened, a genuinely giddy smile spreading on her face.

“That’s such a nice pic of you, Gav!” she cooed, turning the phone to show Chris, who nodded his agreement.

“Looking good,” he said, giving an approving thumbs up.

“Lemme see-”

Immediately the flush returned to Gavin’s ears, though the irritated scrunching dropped from his face. He looked, to be blunt,  _ shocked _ at the photo of himself smiling so sincerely, so naturally. It wasn’t one of his cynical grins, all pointed teeth and barking laughter, but a softer look that seemed reserved for Tina Chen’s ridiculous stories, good-natured jokes, and comfortable evenings with friends. It was candid, natural. The evening sun, which had since set, shone straight through his eyes and floated all of their blue hues to the surface. Nines was rather proud of himself for the photography, even if it had been from one of his discrete bouts of staring.

“Uh- well- I guess that one’s okay,” Reed grumbled, once again pulling the hood up over his head and leaning back into the booth. One of his hands reached to trail his fingers along the scar of his nose, seemingly unconsciously. He glanced over to Nines, who met his eyes with a curious look, and then a silent, teasing smirk. “Fuckin’ creep,” he huffed.

“I have plenty of blackmail of Officers Chen and Miller, if it makes you feel any better,” the android offered as consolation. Gavin’s grin slowly returned. 

“Oh, do you now?” he snickered, turned to look at Chen- who was busy decorating the photo with emojis and ridiculous filters.

“Psh, I don’t fuckin’ care!” she snorted, not bother to look up.

“Like hell, didn’t you give your insta to that chick from- OW FUCK!” 

From the sound of it, Tina had stomped Reed’s foot with her own, setting off another wave of bickering, shoving, and growling. Chris sighed beside RK900, resigned to his fate as the straight man who could do nothing to reign his friends in. Nines leaned his chin in his palm contentedly, happy to just have another moment to look at the Detective and his perfect, imperfect face and everything that came with it.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
